This is a very solid debut that explores abusive familial relationships, generational trauma, and how that trauma affects people in different ways even within the same family.

I love a character focused narrative and this story absolutely delivered on that front. Jude is a protagonist that is very easy to root for, exactly what I expected and hoped to find. What I was not expecting was the depth in the characters of her mother and her two aunts. Nor was I expecting how Jude came to approach their collective familial trauma towards the end of the book.

The writing from a prose standpoint is very well done. Not overly lyrical or flowery but just enough of that aspect to immerse me in the natural Georgian atmosphere that permeates most of the book. Structurally, I did feel as though we spent too much time removed from the aunts' perspectives in the middle third, enough so that once we jump back it's slightly jarring. This is Jude's story first and foremost, of course, but I was very interested in how the two remaining sisters were handling the events of the first third while Jude was trying to heal and discover herself outside of her mother's control. This comes down to my personal preference I suppose with me just wanting more of that part of the story and I am glad that it gets circled back to in the last 20%.

The one drawback, if I had to pick one, was the fact that I don't really understand the purpose of Nemoira's character. From what I gathered, I think that Scholfield was trying to explore how growing up in an abusive or toxic household can lead one to slip into unhealthy relationship patterns no matter how mature in age one might be. I was glad that Jude had found someone she could take comfort in, but I did not find myself as interested in Nemoira as I was with Jude or the women of Jude's family. As a result, I was not nearly as engaged with the middle of the book when it was purely centering on her and Jude's relationship, though this could just speak to how well written the family dynamics were.

Despite these small issues, this is a very dense little book packed with strong characterization, beautiful atmospheric and gut-wrenching writing, and careful respectful exploration of heavy themes.

Definitely worth a recommendation so long as you heed the content warnings at the beginning.

Thank you to Netgalley and Saga Press for providing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A respectful, self-aware, and earnest account of a stranger seeking escape and instead finding connection and acceptance.

Holy shit